Box Elder Man Celestion Charlie Ortega Sentenced to Two Years and 10 Months in Prison for Unlawfully Possessing a Handgun
The U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Montana announced that Celestion Charlie Ortega, 40, of Box Elder, Montana, was sentenced to two years and 10 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for unlawfully possessing a firearm. U.S. Attorney Scott Twito announced the sentence, which was imposed by Chief U.S. District Judge Brian M. Morris. Ortega pleaded guilty in April 2026.
The government alleged in court documents that Ortega, who has been convicted of five previous felonies, was discovered by law enforcement in a Great Falls parking lot at 2:30 a.m. on September 29, 2025, after someone reported seeing him peering into cars with a handgun. Ortega at first pretended to be asleep but then cooperated with officers, who searched his vehicle and found a loaded Hi-Point 9mm pistol between the front right and rear passenger seats on the floorboard. Officers then searched Ortega and found a round of ammunition in his back pocket.
The U.S. Attorney's Office prosecuted the case. The Great Falls Police Department, the Montana Department of Corrections Probation and Parole, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) conducted the investigation. The case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods, the Department of Justice's nationwide initiative to combat violent crime.
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: Great Falls的美国邮政局与法院大楼（Robstutz 摄，CC BY-SA 3.0，经 Wikimedia Commons）
